Forgotten Tales
by Luxara
Summary: Various Zutara One-Shots. Chapter 14: "There are different types of silence..."
1. 1 Simple

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Forgotten Tales

**Disclaimer:**

_Avatar and its characters don't belong to me. I am not making any profit with writing this._

**Summary:**

_This is meant to be a series of One-Shots, Drabbles and everything else that is short. Rating, Pairing, Genre and maybe even the author are at the beginning of each story. If any of you would like to add their own story to my collection, I would greatly appreciate that. Rating does not matter that much, but I would not like anything overly explicit in this collection for I am barely of age myself._

_So… the first story will be in the next chapter… If any of you got something by then… mail me via my profile. Enjoy the tales ;-)_

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**1 – Simple**

_Pairing: Zutara__ Summary: Aang's victory_

_Rating: T Genre: Drama/ Tragedy_

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I will always remember it as the day not only the Fire Nation went up in flames, but my life did as well.

Aang killed the Fire Lord, but…

After two days of fighting, the Fire Nation finally fell. During the battle, my best friends vanished one after another.

I couldn't take it anymore when Zuko died in an explosion. I fled

Aang killed the Fire Lord – that is the easy part… The battle destroyed me. I don't know how the tale continues. My days were spent mourning my friends – my lost love... Yes, I had fallen in love with the enemy… But that doesn't matter. I ceased to exist.

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THE END


	2. 2 The Dare Part 1

**2 – The Dare**

_Pairing: Zutara__ Summary: „Come on, do it!"_

_Rating: K+ Genre: Humour_

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„Now come on, sugar queen, do it!" Toph dared.

"Yeah! We don't have all day. You agreed to this," Sokka said.

"Alright, I'll do it," Katara replied, giving up. "But not with all of you watching."

Before anyone could react, Zuko had pulled the waterbender to her feet and was dragging her behind a nearby pillar.

Once the two had disappeared, Toph and Sokka were resigned to waiting – but five minutes passed and there still was no sign of the two sworn enemies.

"What's taking her so long? It's only a tiny cut… and why doesn't she want us to watch? It's not like we're going to steal her technique… We're not even waterbenders!" Sokka complained.

Suddenly, Toph sat up straight.

"Wait a minute! Those two are definitely not doing healing business."

"But… I am hungry! If they don't return, I'll just start eating that food without them." Sokka whined

Toph grinned though her expression had a bit of shock involved in it. "Sugar queen is snogging him!"

Sokka fell over, unconscious.

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- The End -


	3. 3 The Fight

**3 – Fight**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance_

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_Summary: You know, actually, love and hate are not THAT far away from each other._

_A/N: This One-Shot was a real challenge for me to write. It contains a fighting scene as well as some more romantic stuff and I am still figuring out how to write such things. Especially the fighting scene was difficult, but I hope it is alright _

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Burning hot fire raced towards Katara, her eyes widening at the accuracy of her opponent's most recent shot. With a quick move to the side and her hands flying up, bent water following them she blocked his attack. Immediately, she formed the water she had used as her defence into a huge jet of water which she directed back at the Firebender.

Zuko gracefully ducked down and rolled to the side, effectively dodging her rushed onslaught. He stood up again with a superior smirk, daring her to try again. Katara was fuming. First he had challenged her to "some training" as he had put it, not letting up until she had joined him at a small lake close to the Western Air Temple. And then he had the cheek to laugh at each of her attempts to win their little fight while he himself just played around.

She had had enough. Taking a few calming breaths, Katara willed herself to be rational. She could do this… it wasn't that hard, she had done it before. 'Just hit him,' she told herself. 'Wipe that smirk off of his face; knock him to the ground… do… whatever.'

With a sigh, she looked back at Zuko – and immediately had to block another one of his fire blasts which he had begun to shoot at her in a steady rhythm that moment, his fists pounding the air.

Katara glared at him, her hands rising into her fighting stance before she bent some lake water into tiny drops, freezing it and sending it flying at Zuko at rapid speed. For an instant, she was able to take pride in the look of surprise on his face – but then, he reacted. He put his hands in front of him, creating what seemed like a wall of fire which pushed him back a few steps before stopping Katara's icy darts by melting them into harmless water.

"Nice try, peasant. But you have to do better than that," he taunted her, the two of them dancing around each other, both waiting for their opponent's next strike.

"Admit it, Zuko. That one scared you," Katara replied, grinning, before spinning gracefully while bending water around her, then directing it at him in several different jets all designed to hit one target.

Not having expected her move, Zuko's defence didn't work fast enough. In a matter of seconds, he found himself being thrown a few feet back to land on the ground. He rolled backwards, landing in a crouch, gasping because of the impact.

Grinning proudly, Katara walked over to where he had fallen down, a swing in her steps as she did so.

"Do you give up?" she asked when she had reached him.

Zuko smirked. Just one step more…

"Never!" he yelled mockingly, his right foot whipping around, shooting an angry red flame at her. While she was still stumbling backwards in surprise, bending some water to block his attack, he jumped to his feet, immediately kicking another ball of fire at her.

Katara ducked beneath the onslaught, leaving the flame to fly away over her head. When she got up, she raised some water as a protection around her – or tried, at least. But she wasn't fast enough. With a quick jump Zuko made it into her circle of water, his hand raised and ready to strike.

"Cheater!" she spat, stopping her bending.

Zuko only grinned. "We never agreed to rules, did we? And even if we did… who cares about rules? Do you, peasant?"

"You prick", she replied, her eyes narrowing with fury. With a quick move she took a step towards him, raising her hand to give him a well-deserved slap.

But again, all Zuko did was shrug his shoulders and catch her right wrist, preventing her blow. When she tried to repeat the action with her left hand, he trapped both her hands to her sides, looking at her.

"Is that all you got? Water-splashing and pathetic attempts at foul language? I suppose you might as well give up yourself, you don't stand a chance anyway."

Katara didn't know what to do. First, he beat her by cheating in their training, then she wasn't even able to deliver him a slap for his outrageous behaviour towards her. Something was seriously going wrong… With that thought in mind, she looked up at the Firebender with the full intention of presenting him with one of her most contemptuous looks – and ended up staring into his eyes, fixed to the spot by just his gaze.

His golden orbs looked into her blue ones with an intensity that scared her. She didn't know _why_ he was giving her a look that seemed to say 'I want you', all she knew was that he did.

"Zuko? You can let my hands go now", she whispered, but he ignored her, his golden eyes still fixing on hers while his head seemed to come closer and closer towards her.

'_Wait! He is coming closer'_, she realised just before his lips met hers.

It wasn't the world-shattering clash of emotions or the fireworks in your stomach one read about in books. It just felt… right – a tingling deep within her, starting where their lips were locked, causing her to lean against him and respond, kissing him back ever so softly though she didn't have the slightest idea why they were doing this.

She didn't get time to ponder that question further for suddenly, an all too well-known voice shouted: "How dare you?"

Zuko jumped away from her, a guilty look on his face.

"Er… hey Sokka – you alright?" he asked, for maybe the first time in his life stuttering. "This… er…. This isn't what you think it is… Katara and I were just…"

"Kissing? Making out?" Sokka offered with a grim look.

"NO!" Zuko shouted. "I mean… yes, we were, but… it was an accident."

Katara looked at the Firebender in disbelief. "Yeah, sure it was", she mocked him. With those words, she turned around and walked away. Halfway around the next corner, she seemed to get an idea. She bent some water up, turned around and shot it at Zuko with an untypically hard move of her hand, freezing it when it hit him.

"Idiot!" she yelled at him, leaving the two boys to argue as long as they wished.

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**THE END**

_So… I hope it was at least somehow decent… please tell me what you think… I won't update without reviews ;-)_


	4. 4 Similarity

**4 – **

**Similarity**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Rating: K+_

_Genre: General_

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_Summary: Are enemies really_ that_ different?_

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"_Finally, I know what I am doing this for"_, Zuko thought as he was starting his daily fighting practices. "_The Avatar needs to be captured and I am the one to do it."_ With a grim expression, he began throwing punches like he would for firebending.

"_Finally__!"_ Katara smiled as she approached her newfound waterbending teacher. _"I need this, I need it to protect Aang"_, she thought while imitating Master Pakku's smooth and determined movements.

And though the two benders were hundreds of kilometres apart and one's aim was the other's worst fear maybe they weren't so different at all. One thought united them: _"Maybe this is what they call 'your destiny'."_

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_- The End -_


	5. 5 Tea Time

**5 – Tea Time**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance_

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_Summary: What would have happened if Katara noticed Zuko and Iroh in the teashop a little bit later during "The Guru"?_

_A/N: This is a bit longer than the previous One-Shots. I just happened to think of it one boring afternoon. I hope you like it ;-)_

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"What do you say, Momo? A cup of tea before we get back to the king?" Katara asked the lemur sitting on her shoulder. The animal made an affirmative sound that caused her to smile and continue towards the crowded teashop. The establishment looked rather nice to her with two women in Earth Kingdom colours standing at the entrance, greeting her with small bows.

"A table for two, please," she said to them, earning a polite nod and a slightly curious glance at Momo. Katara chuckled quietly. They were probably wondering if they were _both _going to have some tea…

She continued her way into the restaurant when, all of a sudden, a voice made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green and one lychee," an entirely too familiar voice sounded through the teashop. Katara's eyes widened, taking in the scene playing out in front of her, one question forming in her mind: _'What is _he_ doing here?'_

Rooted to the spot she stood there and watched the familiar old man behind the counter turn his head to face the banished prince.

"I'm brewing as fast as I can."

The first thought that entered Katara's mind after her discovery was to run. She had just turned around when a voice from right behind her stopped her. "May I help you, Miss?"

Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned around to face the voice's owner, knowing this was probably the most stupid thing she had done so far.

"Actually, I would like to sit down and have a cup of tea," Katara said in a rush, noticing Zuko's expression change from polite to completely shocked. For an instant, the two just stood in the middle of the teashop, staring at each other. But the peace didn't last for long. In a matter of seconds, Zuko had jumped into his fighting stance, ready to strike any second.

"What are you doing here, waterbender?" he spat.

"Now, now, Nephew," Iroh's voice came from behind Zuko. "That is not the way we treat our customers. You were asking for a cup of tea, Miss?"

Katara's eyes widened in surprise when Zuko relaxed and nodded. "Yes… I think that was what she was asking for."

With those words, he turned around to pick up a tray with some teacups, taking it to one of the occupied tables as if nothing had happened. Katara followed him with her eyes, trying to figure out what exactly had made him back down.

"So, Miss…" Iroh began.

"Katara," she helped out.

"My name's Mushi. Please excuse my nephew's behaviour. He can be a little… hot-headed sometimes. Now please take a seat over here. What kind of tea would you like to have?"

Smiling at Iroh's polite words, Katara sat down at the small table he had pointed out.

"Absolutely no problem. I would like to have jasmine, I think."

"An excellent choice, my dear. I will send my nephew as soon as it is ready," Mushi replied, a plan already forming in his head. A nice girl at Zuko's age was always good.

While waiting for her tea, Katara let the recent events play through in her head. When she had opted for facing Zuko and answering him, she had thought the best way the situation could end was with them taking their fight outside instead of destroying the lovely teashop. But she would never have expected this. To her, it seemed like a miracle that she was able to actually sit down and have a cup of tea like she had originally intended.

But Zuko… He seemed so different. Up until this day, she had only seen him angry – hating everything. Could it be that it was because they had only encountered when they were involved in a fight or was it something else?

But Katara didn't have much time to contemplate Zuko's change. In a matter of minutes, he was standing beside her table, serving her a cup of tea.

"Thank you, I guess," she said as he placed the steaming drink in front of her. Before Zuko could reply, 'Mushi' had walked up to the table, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you sit down with her for a bit, nephew? It's always nice to have some company… I am sure she doesn't mind. Do you, Miss Katara?"

Katara looked from Zuko to his uncle. She _did _mind, but she certainly wasn't going to say it out loud. If that Iroh would like them to talk a bit, then talking was what they were going to do. After all, he had prevented a fight between her and Zuko from happening – a fight she still wanted to avoid for it would only cause trouble for her _and _Zuko. The people in the teashop wouldn't react that well to a Firebender, she thought, at the same time wondering why she cared about her enemy possibly getting into trouble.

"Of course I don't mind, Sir. Some company would be nice. I don't think Momo here is the most interesting conversational partner," she finally answered with a small grin. Zuko's face fell a bit at her words.

"See, nephew? Then I'll leave you two to yourselves. I still have a few customers to attend to," 'Mushi' said triumphantly, waiting until Zuko had sat down before he left the table.

"What are you up to?" Zuko demanded to know with harsh but low words as soon as his uncle was busy again.

Katara sighed. She had known this was a bad idea all along. Where was the point in being nice to an old man if all it brought to her was trouble?

"I am up to nothing, actually. I just wanted to drink my tea in peace," she gave back.

"Yeah, sure. And that is why you told my uncle that you have absolutely no problem with me sitting down at your table and that you would love to be in my company. Has all that time with the Avatar finally driven you mad?" he mocked her.

"I just didn't want to be impolite, if you have to know," she replied. But Zuko just brushed her answer away.

"You are…" he began before getting interrupted by her.

"Come on, we all know _you _have no manners. But that still doesn't mean everyone around you has to be just as selfish and inconsiderate as you are. I, for example, am not."

"You know what? I may be selfish or even inconsiderate, but it certainly helps you to get your things done. If it comes down to it, I will outdo you in the manners department," he answered with an arrogant tone in his voice, not really having listened to her accusations.

"Now what makes you think _that_?"

"Well… you are a peasant from the Water Tribe –a little girl – if I remember correctly. One can teach you a few basic things, but manners? No, I don't think so."

Katara jumped up at those words, her eyes showing blind fury.

"You idiot! You're feeling so high and mighty with your heritage – well, you know what? I'd rather be just a girl from the Water Tribe than some banished prince who has to capture a twelve-year-old to regain his oh so precious honour," she ranted, her voice growing louder and louder until she was shouting throughout the restaurant: "I can't stand being around you!"

"That's just fine with me. I've never had to stand the presence of someone as bitchy as you. You are infuriating!" he yelled back, causing the customers to shoot them curious glances while Iroh slammed his hand against his forehead. This certainly wasn't working out as he had planned. He had wanted his nephew to have a nice conversation with the girl – probably even a flirt, but all he seemed interested in was to insult her. Before Iroh had the chance to interfere, the girl had opened a bottle-like thing secured to her waist, water following her hands as she put them back in front of her.

"What? Are you going splash around a bit? Or wash my clothes? No, thanks, not in here, I'm sorry, but we can't get the floor all messy," he mocked her yet again, smirking.

With an angry scream, Katara bent her water into ice, launching it at Zuko, pinning him neatly to the wall. Shocked, he just stared at her, unable to do anything to free himself except wriggling around.

Slowly, Iroh approached the still fuming girl, more than a little concerned about the water she was still bending in front of her.

"It's alright, Miss Katara, I am sure my nephew has learned his lesson," he said calmly, noticing Zuko's murderous glare with a grin. "Why don't you just apologise, Lee, and then we all get back to enjoying our tea?"

For a brief moment, Katara's rage subsided as she wondered why Iroh was calling Zuko "Lee", but then she decided they were probably using disguises – it was nothing she really cared about, actually.

"I am certainly _not _apologising to her, uncle! She started this whole thing!" Zuko complained while still trying to wriggle free from the ice holding him.

"I started it?" Katara spat. "Who told me that all the time I spent in Aang's company had driven me mad?"

"It did. Just look at yourself. Youtried to_ kill_ me just minutes ago…"

"No, I didn't. If I had wanted to, you certainly wouldn't be insulting me right now," she responded. When he opened his mouth again to say something, he heard Katara making a low, furious growl before a Water-Whip hit his right cheek with full force.

"Ow! Are you nuts?" he yelled at her, wishing he could firebend to show her her place. She wouldn't be so cocky right now if he was able to hit her with his Fire-Whip…

Both of them had completely forgotten Iroh who was standing right beside them, clearly amused but also a bit annoyed at the turn of events. Who knew that one single girl could provoke such a reaction from his nephew now that he had changed so much? But still – they were obviously disturbing his other customers, so…

"Alright, alright, you two. I think you both emphasized your point. Now, please, Miss Katara, I would really appreciate it if you let my nephew go. And you apologise, Lee!" he ordered in a way that tolerated no dissent.

Reluctantly, Katara put her water back into her "bottle" and melted the ice that was pinning Zuko to the wall. Still glaring, he approached her, stopping just a few inches away from her.

"I am sorry. I was wrong to insult you like that," he spoke out loudly, causing Iroh to back away and the crowd to settle down again. When he was sure nobody was watching anymore, he leaned forward until she could feel his breath on her ear.

"You know you would have lost if I had been able to firebend..:"

Closing the bottle secured at her waist Katara shook of the shiver that had run down her spine at their close proximity. Then, she sat down at her table again and proceeded to take a sip of her jasmine tea.

"Perhaps. I don't usually think so much about 'what ifs' though. For now, I got you," she replied, the anger finally gone from her voice.

"For now. We'll see who wins next time," he stated, suddenly smirking

Katara eyed him curiously. "What's that? A smile on your face? Care to tell me the reason?"

"Actually, it's not a smile, it's a smirk," he corrected her, his smirk now becoming amused.

"Smile – smirk, it's all the same to me," she replied. "I'm just curious _why _you are smiling."

"Smirking. Because I just pictured you begging me for mercy in a real battle – bender against bender," he said with a teasing tone in his voice, wondering how they had gotten from insulting one another to almost having fun.

"In your dreams," she laughed while trying to get herself back to thinking of him as the enemy.

"No… in _your _nightmares."

Katara was confused. What was happening to them? Just minutes ago they had been at each other's throats and now they were engaged in an almost civil conversation – were laughing together for heaven's sake!

"My nightmares? You've got quite a big ego to think you'd appear in any of my dreams. But maybe you've got some personal experience on that point?" she teased him, ignoring the unreality of their situation.

"No, sorry. No experience. I prefer to win for real…" he replied with a chuckle.

Katara laughed softly. "I'm sure you do."

Suddenly, he eyed her with an unmistakable curiosity. For an instant, he seemed to ponder whether or not to ask her, then he had decided.

"What makes you do it?"

"What makes me do what exactly?" she asked, confused by his drastic change of topic.

"Protecting the Avatar – maybe I'm even asking what made you train you bending. What's in it for you?"

Katara's eyes widened during his words. She certainly hadn't expected him to want to know such a personal thing. But something made her answer nonetheless.

"Why I protect Aang is easy. I was the first person he got in contact with after 100 years. I like him, he's like a younger brother to me. That's why I protect him. I am helping him because I believe he is fighting for the right thing."

"I see. But why did you want to learn to waterbend? You like it, don't you?" he asked again, surprised he had gotten an answer. His question had just been something he had been wondering about for some time.

"I don't know exactly. I wanted to learn it even before I met Aang. Maybe it is because I can. But fighting… I love the challenge involved in it. You never know how it is going to end. The only things you can bring with you are your skills and some quick thinking. Then, everything depends on that, the circumstances and maybe even luck. It doesn't matter what you feel for your opponent or what they feel for you… And one moment can decide about victory or defeat. Like it did with the two of us at the North-Pole… I have no idea why I am telling you this!" she suddenly interrupted herself.

"Well, it's kinda interesting. I can understand many of your reasons for fighting. It's pretty much the same for me, actually," Zuko replied quietly. They both smiled until, all of a sudden, Katara's smile vanished and was replaced by an expression of worried realisation.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed, slapping her palm against her forehead.

Zuko looked at her, surprised. "What's wrong?"

"I should have been back at the palace hours ago. It's already beginning to get dark."

"The palace? What are you doing there? Avatar stuff?" Zuko asked, confused. For the first time, he was just wondering why _she_ was there, not thinking how he could get the Avatar by following her or tricking her into giving him information.

"Kinda. I can't explain it right now. I really have to go, I'm sorry. Would you please give your uncle this? I haven't paid for the tea yet," she replied in a rush, already rising to her feet. To her surprise, Zuko rose with her when she handed him the money.

"No problem. It was…err… interesting to talk to you, I guess."

Katara smiled. Yes, it had been interesting.

"Yes, you're right. And your uncle brews great tea. Maybe I'll stop by another time, who knows?" she mused, noticing his smirk at her words.

"If not, I guess I'll see you at our rematch. Prepare to be defeated…"

"Yeah, sure. Anyway – until next time, Zuko."

"Till then," he agreed.

Then, all of a sudden, before he had even the chance to react, she had pressed a quick peck on his cheek and run away.

Minutes later, Zuko was still standing in the middle of the teashop, staring at the door Katara had passed through. Then, finally, he felt his uncle's hand on his shoulder.

"She is a fine young lady, isn't she?" Iroh asked with grin. His plan had worked out in the end – just like every other time.

Zuko just shrugged his shoulders. "She's alright."

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_- The End -_


	6. 6 The Dare Part 2

**6 – The Dare (Part 2)**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance_

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_Summary: What did actually happen behind the pillar of #2 The Dare?_

_A/N: I was asked for this when I wrote my second One-Shot of this series, "The Dare". I hope this lives up to your expectations._

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Before anyone could really react, Zuko was already dragging Katara behind a nearby pillar. When they arrived there, she shot him a murderous glare.

"Don't act so childish," Zuko practically ordered. "Just heal me and you'll never have to get near me again."

"Yeah, sure," Katara mocked him. "You are _living_ with us for heaven's sake!"

Nonetheless, she bent some water from a few flowers to coat her right hand, a soft, blue glow surrounding it afterwards.

For an instant, Zuko moved away from her as she tried to touch the cut beneath his right eye.

"Scared?" she asked, laughing.

"In your dreams!" he replied with a smirk, taking a step towards her to emphasize his point. Katara swallowed. He was very close now – too close, his breath hitting her face. It smelled faintly like lemons, she noticed. Combined with his teasing, challenging look it was an intoxicating combination.

"Katara? Hey, I know I'm gorgeous, but would you mind healing me so your friend's ridiculous concerns are satisfied?" Zuko teased again, hoping she wouldn't kick his ass or anything for it.

Katara's gaze shot up, their eyes locking – and Zuko was mesmerised. Her stare held so much passion, so much longing that he'd later say she had enchanted him.

With an incoherent, mumbled sentence, his lips crushed against hers, the force of it seeming almost like an attack. Katara's first reaction was to move away, but the she felt his hands sneaking up beneath her shirt, touching her bare back with their firebending-related warmth.

"Zuko," she whispered, her staying opened, giving him another place to explore and caress.

"This is so wrong," she stated, stopping their kissing for an instant only to pull him down to her again.

"I know," he replied when they came up for air, his hands still beneath her shirt, one almost at her shoulders, the other one dangerously low.

"They'll kill us," Katara sighed when his mouth descended yet again. Zuko smirked, then he kissed his way down to her neck, enjoying how her head fell to the side to allow him better access.

"Yes, probably, " Zuko replied absent-mindedly, gently suckling on her neck while pulling her as close as he could.

"Ah, screw it, I don't care!" Katara gasped out, causing Zuko to smirk yet again while his fingers lightly tickled her back, his touches growing more and more intimate.

By the fire, Toph lifted her feet of the ground with a strange expression, looking at Sokka who was lying beside her, still unconscious.

"I don't think I wanna know what they are doing..."

**The End**


	7. 7 Rain

**7 – ****Rain**

_Pairing: Zutara, implied Kataang_

_Genre: Tragedy_

_Rating: K+_

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_Summary: It was the rain that hid their tears…_

_A/N: This is probably a bit depressing – and short – but I promise to write something longer and lighter soon… I just couldn't get anything else done currently and didn't want to leave you waiting :-)_

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It was the rain that announced it was over. The rain that had them all look up to see the Avatar leaving the Fire Nation Palace in a destroyed mess, the Fire Lord buried beneath the ruins.

It was the rain that hid their tears of loss and desperation when they found out what the battle had taken.

The rain that washed away the blood from Katara and Zuko's bodies as they lay beside each other, finally at peace. It was the rain that hid Aang, the great Avatar, from the others view as he grieved over his lost love and friend.

It was the rain that announced the beginning of a new era – an era begun by one of the most painful victories in time.

And while the surviving cried for their friends, Zuko and Katara continued on to another world where they would never have to fight again.

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**- The End -**


	8. 8 Interruption

**8 - Interruption**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Genre: Romance/ Humour_

_Rating: T_

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_Summary: The battle is over… now what's next?_

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While everyone around them was cheering and laughing due to their victory over the Fire Nation, Zuko and Katara stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the great throne room. They had taken Azula out together while Aang had dealt with the Fire Lord. It hadn't been an as devastating victory as everybody had thought it would be. Somehow, most people dear to them had survived the battle – many were injured, but nobody had died yet. It was a miracle.

However, now that the battle was over, Zuko and Katara could do nothing but stare at each other. While fighting Azula, he had jumped to her help without a second thought, putting his own life at risk.

Now, he didn't know what do say. Over the time they had spent at the Western Air Temple, they had developed a shaky friendship, both of them liking the other more and more. Finally, just a few days before their second invasion of the Fire Nation, their friendship had developed into something more. The beginning had been hard – Sokka and Aang had almost killed Zuko when they had found him and Katara snogging, but, somehow, with the help of Toph, they had gotten the others to accept their relationship.

Now that the battle was over, nothing seemed to be standing in their way.

With a soft smile, Katara stepped forward and put her hand on Zuko's shoulders, leaning forward to kiss him. Zuko responded passionately, drawing her closer, their tongues duelling in a fight for dominance.

But, all of a sudden, someone pulled them apart roughly. Not giving them an instant to recover from the shock, Sokka pulled them over to the others.

"Did you see how those Fire Nation soldiers fled when I took out my sword? Did you see how scared they were?" he bragged loudly.

Katara and Zuko rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Yeah, sure", Zuko replied, grinning. "All I saw was some guy chasing a bunch of ten-year-olds out of the palace then making a quick escape letting his friends deal with the real opponents."

Sokka turned bright red when Katara laughed and gave Zuko another quick peck.

"Yep, that pretty much was it."

"Man, go back to making out if all you can do is spoil all the fun."

Without another word, Zuko and Katara followed his advice.

* * *

_- The End - _

_Please review... requests for One-Shots are appreciated _

* * *


	9. 9 Lightning

**9 – Lightning**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Genre: Romance/ Hurt/Comfort_

_Rating: K+_

* * *

_Summary: There's this little thing Katara has been hiding for way too long. One stormy night, who is to find out?_

_A/N: This was requested by AvatarKiba, so the storyline is her idea. I hope this is at least somehow like you want it to be ;-)_

* * *

A flash illuminated his figure in the dark. It was a strange sight to see – a young man standing in the middle of a thunderstorm, not moving, showing no signs of wanting to leave. He seemed almost suicidal.

Then, with the next flash of lightning, the figure moved in one smooth motion. At first, he seemed to just do some kind of strange dance, then, all of a sudden, a large bolt of lightning left his fingers, lighting up the whole surroundings, his arms connecting the lightning and the ground with each other. Then, everything went dark again. By the time the next lightning struck, the figure had miraculously disappeared.

Inside the Western Air Temple, Zuko continued to his room. He was soaked by the rain and still felt a bit shaky from his recent contact with the pure energy. Silently, he walked past the others' rooms, hearing soft snoring from Toph's and strange, incoherent babbling from Sokka's. When he reached Katara's, though, he hesitated. Strange sounds could be heard coming from her room. It sounded almost like crying.

But Katara crying? It seemed so out of character. Zuko just couldn't imagine her ever showing any weaknesses at all… but still… If she was really crying, someone ought to check in on her. But would she just get mad at him if he intruded her room?

'Ah, screw it!' Zuko thought. 'I'm going in. She won't kill me.'

Carefully, he opened the door, stepping through it as soon as there was enough space – he didn't want to be caught after all.

The sight presented inside shocked him to no end. Katara, the strong "leader" of their team was almost completely hidden beneath her blanket, her knees pressed against her chest and her head hidden in her arms. Soft, frightened sounds were emanating from her.

Stunned, Zuko approached her with soft steps, crouching down to be at her level before gently placing his hand upon her shoulder.

Immediately, Katara's head shot up, her puffy red eyes meeting his.

"Zuko? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice shaky and hoarse.

He smiled softly at her – but frowned when another crushing sound from the thunderstorm caused her to flinch and pull the blanket closer around herself.

"Katara? Are you alright?" he asked gently, completely forgetting her earlier question.

She smiled reassuringly. "Of course I am…" she started to reply but gave herself away when she jumped at the next lightning outside.

"…not alright," she finished with a sigh. Then she continued, not knowing what exactly caused her to reveal this fact to him. "To be honest… I'mafraidofthunderstorms."

"Er… sorry, could you repeat that," Zuko stuttered, suddenly feeling clumsy.

"I am afraid of lightning… or thunderstorms in general," she said more slowly, proving her point by flinching yet another time as the small room was lit up.

"Hmmm… I see," he replied. Then, he took her hands in his, causing her gaze to shoot up to meet his in confusion. He only smiled. "Why's that? Why are you afraid of them?"

"I don't think you wanna know, Zuko. It's pretty stupid actually."

"Please tell me?" he asked again, hoping she would trust him despite their past. To his surprise, she did and began telling what he wanted to know while occasionally flinching each time lightning struck the sky.

"Well… Like I said, it's pretty stupid. In the past, I liked thunderstorms. They were exciting and creepy at the same time. But then… well, Ba-Sing-Se happened, I guess. You probably remember the fight in that cave and what happened to Aang – how he almost died there."

Zuko nodded in understanding.

"To understand this, you've to know that Aang is what I consider one of my best friends. He's almost like a brother to me. When I saw him fall it was one of the worst moment in my whole life. Anyway, the problem is that it was your sister's lightning that almost killed him. From the on, thunderstorms have been scaring me to death."

Zuko nodded, tightening his hold on her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Katara. But, you know, you've got to move on. I can assure you that I will do everything in my might to keep Azula away from you and especially Aang. I will never let her harm anyone again. When we meet in the final battle, she will be finished."

Katara nodded, trying to smile. "I don't know if that will help… but I hope so, I really hope so. Thank you , Zuko."

And when he pulled her against him, holding her while waiting for her to drift off to sleep she thought that maybe he wasn't that bad at all… maybe he was just the tiniest bit cute… Maybe…

* * *

_THE END_


	10. 10 Tea Time: Rematch

**

* * *

**

Tea Time: Rematch

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance_

* * *

_Summary: Decided to write a second part to Chapter 5 – Tea Time. Katara and Zuko got thrown into the cave and now Zuko wants his rematch._

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry for the long delay, but I was quite busy during my summer holidays, I went to England._

_About the fic: I added a small lake to that little cave since obviously a fight between Zuko and Katara wouldn't be possible otherwise._

* * *

Katara was standing in the middle of the cave they had been thrown into, furious. After the odd events of that tea shop she had stumbled into she had been in a rather good mood. But now… Now she was locked up inside that cave without having an idea where her friends were. Just as Katara wanted to sit down, some kind of door suddenly opened and someone landed beside her with a pained groan.

When the person looked up, Katara gasped.

"Zuko? What are _you _doing here?" she exclaimed, rushing towards him.

He sat up when she reached him, rising his eyebrow.

"Katara… Did your Avatar business involve getting captured by my lunatic sister? Or was this just a nice addition?" he mused with a smirk on his face.

Katara just rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, sure. You know, it was fun to fall down here, you know."

Zuko chuckled. "I'm sure it was. But seriously, what are you doing here?"

Katara sighed. "Long story. But to cut it short, the Earth King was controlled by his advisor, we solved the problem, I was left here to settle everything. Then your sister appeared disguised as a Kyoshi warrior… And the rest is clear, I suppose."

He nodded, then rose to his feet.

"So… now that we're here. You still owe me a rematch, you know."

"You can't be serious. We are trapped in here and you want a rematch?"

"Well, there's nothing more interesting to do, so, yes, I do want one. But you might as well surrender now, you'll lose anyway."

Katara glared at him, then rose to her feet as well, putting some distance between them.

"Try me…"

Zuko smirked at her words, his body moving into a fighting stance, his eyes challenging her.

"With pleasure."

With those words, he bowed to her in a mocking yet respectful way before launching of his first attack.

Katara easily dodged the fireball that came flying at her, spinning around to gather some water from the small lake inside the cave. Then she sent it racing towards Zuko in a wave, causing him to crouch down, his arms shielding his face while his foot kicked through the wave with the help of his firebending.

"Cute," he smirked, jumping up in the air, spinning around and kicking fire at her before landing in a crouch again.

Katara raised her eyebrows in surprise at his onslaught, her hands hurrying to form an icy wall between herself and the fire. Still, it wasn't quite enough. The fire melted the ice in almost no time, causing her to jump back swiftly, putting out the fire that had caught her clothing.

"Not bad…" she stated with a grin.

Zuko was still smirking. "Not bad at all," he replied. "Let's see how you handle this."

Quickly, he kicked another ball of fire at her, then rolled to the side, repeating the action from a different angle until he was almost halfway around her.

Katara bent the water into a circle around her, tentacles shooting up in time with her graceful movements, blocking each and every single of Zuko's attempts to hit her.

"Is that all you've got?" she asked teasingly, then launched of an attack of her own, forming tiny drops of water into sharp icicles that she sent flying at him.

Zuko's eyes widened at the icicles, his foot quickly shooting up, forming a semicircle in front of him, fire protecting him. Still, he didn't manage to catch the icicles on the outside, one of them ripping his shirt and lightly piercing the skin at his shoulder. Quickly, he melted the ice by increasing his body temperature.

"Nice one," he said with a grin before forming whip-like strings of fire he sent racing towards her.

Katara jumped back quickly, forming her water whips to defend herself against Zuko's attack. But before their whips could connect more than a few times, a loud crushing sound could suddenly be heard. An instant later, two figures walked through the destroyed wall of their prison – Iroh and Aang had come to their rescue…

When Katara let her water whips die down and walked past Zuko, she couldn't hide her grin at his whispered words. "Until next time, waterbender."

* * *

**THE END**


	11. 11 Letters

**11 – Letters**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Genre: Romance_

_Rating: K_

* * *

_Summary: Almost a decade after the final battle, an unexpected letter finds its way to Fire Lord Zuko._

* * *

"Whoa!" Zuko exclaimed as a boy bumped into him at full speed while he was walking through his park. When the boy looked up, he immediately fell down with a scared expression on his face.

"I am so sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to…" the boy started to apologise.

Zuko stopped him with a small smile. "It's okay, boy. But what are you doing here?" he asked. The boy blushed.

"Er… I was told to deliver this letter to the Fire Lord… er… you, Sir," he stammered before quickly throwing him an envelope, bowing in Fire Nation style then running off again.

Zuko couldn't help but smile at the young boy's energy and innocence. Good thing his father wasn't Fire Lord anymore… The boy would have been in for some serious trouble.

Quickly shaking off the unpleasant thought, Zuko turned into a small path to sit down on a bench. With burning curiosity, he opened the envelope. When he read the first lines, his eyes widened.

_

* * *

_

Dear Zuko

_It's been years now. Years since we've seen each other. I still remember our victory over your father and sister as if it happened yesterday. Things have changed since then. I haven't seen my brother, Toph, the Avatar or anyone else of our old team in half a decade. Are things going okay in the Fire Nation? What happened to you?_

_I still remember your look when the Avatar and I were practically making out at our victory party. I never thought you felt anything for me despite some kind of friendship. But that day made me think different. I really regret my actions back then. Aang and me didn't last long. Maybe he was just too young or we were too different. We broke up about a year later. Since then, I've been living all on my own while occasionally training a young waterbender who's searching for more advanced techniques of bending._

_I can't complain though. But I still miss my friends, especially you. I mean, I have no idea why I wrote all of this, it just felt good to tell you._

_I hope my letter didn't bring painful memories back to surface for you and you'll consider replying._

_Love,_

_Katara_

* * *

For a long time, Zuko just stayed sitting on the bench, doing nothing at all. Why had she chosen this moment to write to him? He had almost given up any hope of ever seeing her again. And now it seemed so real again. Finally, he snapped out of his reverie. Without much hesitation he grabbed the letter and rushed to his rooms, his pace just at the border to being unsuitable for a king.

Three days later, a messenger hawk flew in through a small window of an even smaller house right at the beach of a very familiar island. A rather young woman immediately noticed it and walked to the window to pick it up. When she noticed the envelope attached to the bird's back, she let out a gasp. Quickly ripping the paper to get to the letter inside she sat down on a chair and began to read with a soft glow to her eyes.

_

* * *

_

Dear Katara

_You can't believe how surprised I was when your letter arrived. I am really glad you wrote, though. I was wondering where you had gone the few times Aang visited – he never answered any of my questions concerning you. Seeing you broke up this comes as no surprise, I suppose._

_I am sorry to hear about your grandmother. I only hope your father is doing okay._

_Things in the Fire Nation have been quiet. Too quiet actually. Except for my advisors telling me I still need an heir – as if I don't already know, but that's pretty hard without being married – nothing happened. I suppose I should be happy that Aang manages everything like this, after all there are more than a few people who still hold their grudges against my nation, but still…_

_Currently, I am preparing for a little trip. Though some of my senators don't want me to, Uncle Iroh and me will be leaving in two days time with a small group of soldiers to take a look at the help the Earth Kingdom provides for the poor. It's said that the Fire Nation still needs such measures, so I am going to take a look at them. It is also a good opportunity to check on our ambassador Mai (she grew up and out of her boredom, I suppose) there. She has been doing some rather successful work. I would also like to visit one particular Earthbender, if only to be called hothead once again. I think I missed it._

_I miss you too, you know. You were right in your letter, it did hit a nerve when you and Aang got together. I was foolish enough to think we were developing some kind of a bond that would eventually lead to more… maybe I was mistaken. It's a pity, though._

_You might not want to hear this, Katara, but I still feel the same way I did 9 years ago. I would love to be with you, but I realised it can't be. But at least we have some memories…_

_I would love to hear from you again, just use my hawk, it's quicker this way._

_Love,_

_Zuko_

* * *

Katara let the letter drop with tears in her eyes. She had never though he would be this open with her. But now he had told her, it was her decision what to do next. Her fate was lying in her hands – no, their fate was.

Slowly, Katara tore the bottom of the letter's page Zuko hadn't used, scribbled a note down and sent the messenger hawk on its way.

Only a mere two days later, Zuko got stopped by his hawk while boarding his ship. When he was presented with the short note, his first stop was clear – and Iroh couldn't help but smile. He knew they would eventually figure it out.

_

* * *

_

You weren't mistaken. Let's start it over. Meet me at Kyoshi Island in a week's time. I'll be waiting for you.

_Love, Katara_

* * *

Maybe the advisors didn't need to worry. There was definitely going to be an heir.

* * *

**THE END**


	12. 12 My Immortal

**12 – My Immortal**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Genre: Tragedy/ Romance_

_Rating: T_

* * *

_Summary: Inspired by "My Immortal" (Evanescence). Drabble. For everything else, read it. _

* * *

_A/N:_

_For now, I decided to answer reviews here, it's the easiest way._

_poser., NorthernLights25: I'm glad you liked it._

_Harlequin Jade: Funny if I think that I first thought about leaving the last sentence out _

_MoonlightSpirit: Again, thanks. And if you haven't read the email yet, I am still searching for ideas but want to continue… and I would love some suggestions._

* * *

Passed. Long gone. It was over.

She was old. Had had a blessed live. He didn't.

The final battle took its victims. He survived. The riots afterwards took lives. But not his. He died saving the Avatar. Blasted into oblivion by an assassin.

She should be proud. She wasn't

Why had Zuko had to become a hero? Why hadn't they been given more time? She never told him she loved him. He died as her best friend.

And this caused a wound that never healed. Now she only hoped for peace, waiting for her heart to stop. Waiting to forget…

* * *

**THE END**


	13. 13 A Different Kind of Loneliness

**13 – ****A Different Kind of Loneliness**

_Pairing: Zutara_

_Genre: Romance, Drama_

_Rating: K_

* * *

_Summary: Sometimes, loneliness doesn't depend on the amount of people around you, but the one who is missing._

* * *

_A/N:_

_MoonlightSpirit: Thanks for your review and the compliment. And thanks for pointing out the typo, changed it._

_Rose Gilmore: Thanks for your reviews for the first few chapters, I hope you'll like this one as well._

_Harlequin Jade & NorthernLights25: Thanks for your review._

* * *

"**We've never been so many and we've never been… so alone!"**

**We Are, Ana**

* * *

The cries and sounds of celebration due to their victory washed over the crowds gathered in front of the Fire Nation palace. They had made it.

Katara wasn't quite sure she could believe it yet. They weren't in some Fire Nation prison or died. They were free. And still… Still she felt alone. She was being pushed around by the people around her, hugged by her friends, but a deep loneliness had settled within her. HE had left. Told her not to wait for him… And that was why, surrounded by her friends, she still felt lonely. Because he wasn't there.

Miles away, Zuko had been stopped by yet another celebrating crowd. They had immediately recognised him and now he was being celebrated as a hero. But, honestly, he couldn't care less about it.

He knew he had made the decision to leave – and hadn't made it at the same time. He couldn't have stayed with them. It had been his destiny to help them defeat his father, but it wasn't his destiny to stay with them – to take away the Avatar's happiness by pursuing a relationship with the girl he loved was something he couldn't do anymore. So he ran away.

He only wondered if she was feeling the same way as him. While he was being celebrated and cared for, he never seemed to be able to fulfil his longing for company. For all he knew he had never been with so many and yet so alone. Because she wasn't there.

* * *

**THE END**


	14. 14 Silence

**14 – Silence**

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* * *

**

_Pairing: a bit of Mai/Zuko – still Zutara shipper though _

_Genre: Tragedy_

_Rating: T_

_A/N:_

_It has been quite long for me, I know… Some changes in my life are making it difficult to find my own style of writing again, so it's going to take a while._

* * *

Silence.

She knew different types of silence, had encountered a lot of them throughout her 19 years of life. There was a comfortable silence, the one you might share with your partner or friend when you just enjoyed the moment.

There was silence out of anger, the kind that replaced the screaming of her parents that would normally follow. A type that was shaky, felt like a balloon ready to burst any second.

She had encountered disappointed silence. For a long time, she had thought this was the worst of all. When her beloved ones were out of words to say – when she had let them down.

But back then, she hadn't known this type of silence. The kind caused by anticipation and fear of what was to come next that made her unable to even utter a noise.

This was what she felt at that moment, while musing over childhood memories and long lost dreams.

Questions were running through her mind. Was this going to be it? The end of all she had ever hoped for? It felt like it, but it couldn't be true. There were so many things she had yet to experience, things she had decided to wait for, things she had been afraid to try.

Regret, that was what she felt when the rumbling and trembling of the walls around her became louder.

It wasn't the regret she had felt when her first real friendship had ended all of a sudden nor the kind that came with a bad mark she hadn't worked enough for.

Regretting her first break-up with a boyfriend was small compared to this.

What she regretted was not having jumped. Not literally of course, no, it was something much more severe. It was jumping, that much was true, letting go of her childish fears and normal life to start something new. Now she was never going to get the chance to try. All the happiness that one part of her inner self had predicted if she had just dared to take one step in a new direction would never be hers.

A small tear running down her cheek, Mai waited for the walls of her prison cells to break beneath the heat of the battle raging outside and bury her so she would have to regret no more. For the chance to jump had been lost when she failed to follow her love and join the "other" side in battle. Now, she was their enemy.

And so it happened, that when the dust of the battle had cleared there was a girl found in the ruins of the prison, her hair messy and her face dirty and bloody. Her face was drawn into a frown that lasted even after her death. But besides that, there was silence.

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THE END


End file.
